Smith described his new character as
outgoing and worldly: “He is the center of attention kind of guy
but in a good way. He's very confident and mature, he's traveled the
world and is very open-minded. I'm very excited to portray him.”

And he says he's excited to play the
soap's first gay character.

“I truly care about the whole thing,”
he said. “There's been a lot of controversy about this and for me
to be able to [be] a part of it, to be able to change people and make
a difference … I'm really excited to play a character with that
much pull.”

But will Sonny get a boyfriend? “We
all make jokes, 'Who am I going to make out with first?' It's going
to be fun to see.”